6996 Valentine's Day
by Yamamoto Ameko
Summary: I know it's a little late, but I couldn't upload things in Feb. Computer wouldn't let me. What would happen if someone went after Chrome....? Guess...


6996 Valentine

JAS

The air bloomed crisp and white from between her lips, chilling her lungs. Her cheeks were numb from the wind. She had been running for what seemed an eternity. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest; she could feel it hammering against the chocolate box in her arms.

Behind her, she could hear the voices and thundering footsteps of her pursuers. Chrome knew there just normal people; Japanese citizens who had lost control of their urge to drink. She didn't want to hurt them; she knew the boss would not want her to. But if she didn't find a way out, they were going to hurt her.

She darted around the corner of a building, and found herself staring up at a brick wall. Chrome had pinned herself into a dead end, and the men were too close behind to escape.

Clutching the box tighter to her chest, Chrome turned and pressed her back against the wall. Her uncovered eye widened in terror as seven men came careening around the corner; more than there had been at first; and stopped to leer at her. Blushing, she hid her face against the box. Its cool surface reminded her of the voice and the touch of the man whom it had been meant for.

"Mukuro-sama," She whispered tentatively as she heard the men begin stumbling towards her. Btu as usual, no response came. She didn't know where Mukuro was; she hadn't known in almost a year. He couldn't save her now, and her trident was still at the base.

She whimpered, sliding down the wall to sit on the ground. The edges of the box dug painfully into her arms. They were laughing now. She could feel them growing closer, and she knew what they would do to her. Her body grew cold and hot at the same time, and resigned herself to the truth. This was not a battle she could win.

"Come now, my pretty." One of the drunkards slurred from very near by. She curled herself into a tighter ball and began to sob. Some of the other drunkards laughed, "We don't play rough."

Chrome was trembling. There was no one to save her; the boss didn't know she had left the base, Mukuro was nowhere to be found, Ken and Chikusa had been searching for him since his disappearance. There was no one nearby, no one to hear the screams she could not release. She dug her fingers into the box, cutting them on the indigo wrapping.

"She's certainly a pretty one, ain't she boys?" One of the men laughed. She felt him reach forward, felt his rough, hot skin touch her arm and try to pull it away.

_Kufufufufu…_

All movement in the alleyway ceased. Chrome could feel the men looking around, hunting for the source of the haunting laugh. She was frozen in shock and fear, too dazed by the sound to make any move to escape. And the second dragged on in silence. The men began to stir again.

"Must've been the wind," One of them muttered, turning back to her. She buried her head deeper into her arms, and felt the tears coming faster.

"Yeah," Another chuckled, "We drunk, man."

"Hell, look at all this mist! Ain't no one's gonna find us in here."

Chrome froze. Mist? Slowly, she opened her eyes and risked raising her head.

They were right. The alley was full of milky white mist. But they could not know what that meant.

Too late she realized that one of the men had lurched forwards. Already, his arms were around her, his lips much too close, his fingers prying at the buttons on her uniform. She cried out in terror, trying to kick at him, but he was too close. She couldn't build up any strength. She held the chocolates somehow even tighter.

She felt the buttons on her shirt begin to pop open, one by one. Before she realized what she was doing, a scream tore from her throat.

"MUKURO-SAMA!"

_Kufufufufufu…_ The laugh repeated, haunting once again, echoing through the unnatural fog like the purr of a hunting cat. _Who has been touching my Nagi?_

Chrome felt the man torn from her once more. She buried her face in her arms, hiding from the carnage. She heard her attackers screaming, suddenly quiet sober. She could only imagine what they were seeing; what wonderous hells Mukuro might be showing them.

The battle was over quickly. For a moment, all was silent, and Chrome did not dare stir. And then a pair of strong hands, cold as death, pried her arms away from her chest and lifted her pale face. Her trembling lips met his; firm, confident, loving; and relief filled her.

He pulled away and began gently redoing the buttons on her uniform.

"M…Mukuro…sama…" Chrome sniffed, her voice still trembling with fear. He smiled slightly, not quite the same smirk he shared with the other Guardians. His hands reached out, prying her fingers from the chocolate box.

"Nothing can touch my Nagi." Mukuro whispered.

And then, his ghostly laugh still echoing around him, he faded away.

A single tear rolled down Chrome's cheek as the chocolate box clattered to the ground and fell open. Tears and mist blurred her vision completely, so for a moment she did not notice…

One of the chocolates was gone.


End file.
